


Ficlet: As Time Passes

by scifishipper



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-06
Updated: 2012-05-06
Packaged: 2017-11-04 21:53:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/398582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifishipper/pseuds/scifishipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee and Kara find Bill's cabin on Earth 2.0.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ficlet: As Time Passes

It takes two years for Lee and Kara to find his father’s cabin, nestled high on a hill overlooking a valley and a pristine blue lake. To their surprise, the cabin is unfinished, roughly-hewn wood bound together only to waist height. Scattered on the ground are tools and unused logs and the markings of a camp that has been left untended. 

It’s Kara who stops him from searching the grounds. “Lee, let me look. I have a bad feeling.” Lee hasn’t even thought of what she now implies and he swallows against a hard knot in his throat. 

Not yet.

***

Kara disappears into a thicket of trees and returns a few minutes later, her face grim. 

“We’re too late.” 

Lee can only stare, open-mouthed, trying to comprehend her words. “How?” He’s peering past her into the woods, his body both drawn and repelled by that spot. 

Kara shakes her head. “I don’t know. Looks like it’s been a while.” She shoves her hands into her pockets and kicks bark off of one of the logs. 

“Where’s Laura?”

“What?” Kara’s face screws up into confusion.

Lee scans the landscape. “There, on that rise overlooking the lake. I bet she’s buried there.”

***

Sitting next to Laura’s grave, Lee can see the entire valley, densely packed conifers thinning out as they encircle the lake. He could imagine his father sitting here for hours telling Laura about his day.

“He must have known,” Lee says, rolling a stone between his fingers. Behind them is another grave, unfinished with a Fleet-issue shovel laying nearby. 

“He would have wanted to be next to her.” Lee rises and starts towards Bill’s remains, but Kara grabs his arm. 

“No, Lee. Let me do it. You don’t want to see him.” 

“Kara…”

“It’s not a request.” 

He nods, grateful.

***

Lee’s fingers stumble over photographs and clothing as he goes through his father’s things, a sash full of medals, books with yellowed pages, mementos from Galactica. Each elicits its own bittersweet memory as he recalls the difficult journey they shared. He hopes he found peace in the end.

Kara’s heavy footsteps approach. “It’s done, Lee.”

He turns to find her, covered in sweat and dirt, hair falling out of a loosened ponytail. He steps forward, tucks her hair back into place. “Thank you.”

Kara’s eyes fill with tears and she tucks herself into his arms. “It was better that way.” 

***

“I thought I’d have more time,” Lee says later, tossing twigs into the fire.

Kara sits close to him. “The Old Man knew it was time.”

“He could have found us. There were things I wanted to tell him.”

“Don’t get do-overs, Lee. We all had our chance.” Kara flicks debris off her pants.

“You did.” He looks at her, wishing the same were true of his dad.

“ _I_ wasn’t ready to leave yet.” 

“And you think he was?” It hurts to say the words.

“Laura was gone, Lee.” She meets his gaze, face illuminated by the fire. “You weren’t.”


End file.
